Marauders, A History
by waiting4evermore
Summary: Marauder era, just a simple story of the marauders and how the love of James and Lily evolves until their death.
1. The Usual Snow

Disclaimer:

Obviously I'm not J.K. Rowling nor do I own HP. My writing is too terrible : )

** I've made some changes so if you've been reading might want to do a quick skim to catch up.

* * *

It was snowing upon the grounds of Hogwarts as the students began to wander off towards the small village of Hogsmeade. It always snowed on the first visit to Hosmeade, but many of the kids did not care. Snow balls were being whisked back and forth by the simple flick of wands. James Potter and his three best friends, Remus, Sirius, and Peter trailed along towards the Three Broomsticks. Inside of the building it was nice and warm with the lingering smell of butterbeer in the air. The four boys collapsed into chairs at a table in the back corner.

"I hate the snow," Peter stuttered as he rubbed his arms trying to warm up.

"Oh come on Peter, it's not THAT cold," Sirius chuckled as he grabbed the attention of the barmaid, who readied 4 butter beers. "This is the life," Sirius claimed as he put his snow covered feet upon the table, much to the dismay of a scowling Remus.

"I suppose you could say that," Remus said as he cleaned the dirty snow from Sirius's feet and the table with a his wand. Sirius muttered a "sorry" under his breath as the four butterbeers were placed upon their table. They drank and talked through a few more glasses of butterbeer before they decided to head off towards Honeydukes and Zonkos. James and sat silently in the Three Broomsticks mulling over his Butterbeer. It wasn't till they had left the pub that Remus asked James what was the matter. "You were as silent as the grave in there mate? What's eating you?" Remus asked James as they made their way through the snow to Honeydukes.

"I dunno," James said nonchalantly as he kicked at the dirty snow beneath his feet.

"Common mate," Sirius butted in," usually we can't get you to shuttup!" The four laughed as they walked into the sweet smelling shop, which was completely packed full of students. James ruffled his jet black hair," Sorry guys, just got a lot on me mind I guess."

The four raided the sweet shop cramming as much as they could into their hands, stocking up till the next Hogsmeade visit. Their next stop, Zonkos joke shop, was a bit more brief as it was more of a browse than a purchase. The four began their travel back up towards the castle until Sirius punched James arm to grab his attention," OUCH! You stupid arse-"

Sirius shh-ed him and pointed toward the shop, Madam Puddifoots, the usual spot where couples meet to serenade and cuddle like a bunch of gits. James stopped mid sentences when he saw where Sirius was pointing. A flash of red hair had erupted from the door of the fluffed up building followed by the shadow of greasy darkness that James had vowed to hate for the rest of his life.

"Oh common Severus, it wasn't THAT terrible!" Lily said as she and Severus Snape began to walk towards the castle. Severus Snape merely raised his shoulders at Lily's remark. James hated every fiber of that Slytherins being. His greasy hair stuck to his head like a tick to an animal. His dark cloak dragged along the ground picking up black snow and dampening his robes. James had an idea at this sight. He threw his bag of sweets at Remus who caught them rather easily and then he whipped out his wand. He had become quite the whiz of speechless spells as he formed a small army of snowballs in mid air, and then pelted them at the greasy youth. They each hit with a loud thud and almost knocked the boy over. But James did not exactly get the reaction he had wished for.

"**James Potter! What the hell is wrong with you?!"** Lily Evans yelled at him from where Snape held onto his knees trying to catch his breath.

"Common Evans, a mere joke for old Sevy!" James said with a smirk upon his face.

"A mere joke?! If that was a mere joke, then I can't wait for the day that someone plays the most brilliant joke ever upon you! How could Dumbledore, the most brilliant wizard ever have put you as head boy?! Grow up Potter!" and with a flash of her red hair Lily was gone as she and Snape rapidly made their way back to Hogwarts.

"Nice one Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed as they too began their traipse back. James gave a laugh but Remus knew what lingered upon James' mind.

**************

James, Sirius, and Remus sat in the comfy couches of the Gryffindor common room surveying their essays which were due in Transfiguration the next morning. "And that is why one must not attempt to transfigure a human into a piece of fruit," Sirus said with a wide smile as he finished his essay and signed his name at the top. Remus laughed," And how are you taking NEWTS in transfiguration again?"

James had finished his essay awhile ago and sat with his friends merely for company. He snacked on a pumpkin pasty while Remus fixed Sirus' essay. He hoped Remus would edit his because his mind was most definitely not on the worst scenarios in transfiguration when he wrote his essay. _What am I doing wrong!? _James thought silently.

Sirius yawned and rose from his seat, "Well boys, I'm off to bed, I can't stay up for another moment." The remaining two watched as Sirus made his way up to the dormitory stairs and once they were the only ones left in the common room Remus made his move. " Do you really think you are going to get her attention by beating up on Snape?"

James looked quite shocked by his friend's remark and stuffed his mouth with the rest of his midnight snack. "I haf no idee waft ju are talkin abou," he muttered through bites as he began to scramble his things together to escape Remus.

"James…" Remus always had a way of prying things from James Potter, and he had no idea why it always worked. He would make a great teacher, James always said.

"Fine. Sit and I'll spill out my heart like a prat." James threw his stuff back down and took a seat by Remus.

"Obviously she is not attracted to your teasing of her friend. So why do you continually do it?"

"I dunno, I hate Snape, and I hate seeing him with her. Why the hell were they in Puddifoots together!? I think that's what set me off today. I dunno why I do it, it's just a way to grab her attention I guess." James ran a hand through his hair, making it messier than it was before. "Not only does she do the whole _GROW UP POTTER, _she insists on pulling the head boy crap. She's lucky I chose not to sleep in the Head Boy dormitory next to hers."

"Well, forget about that and try to think of a different way to grab her attention, because you are not making a good impression on her," Remus patted James on the back. "Just show her that you're more than just a prankster and an asshole!" Remus laughed and could see that he wasn't exactly cheering up his friend. "Because you're more than just a prankster and an asshole," he threw in quickly.

"It doesn't matter. I doubt I'll ever have her. You know, I've had my fair share of girls, but none of them are like her. With others I've never thought of them as playing any sort of role in my future. But Lily… she … I dunno."

James rubbed his eyes and rose to pick up his things. "Let's head off. I think this is enough emotional hogwash for the day."

As the two boys made their way up to the dormitory only Remus caught sight of the red haired girl that was buried into a seat that was across the room from where Remus and James just sat.

**************

Short I know. Sorry.

Reviews and comments are welcomed!


	2. Draught of Crystallized Pineapple

Lily Evans curled up on a large sofa in a corner of the Gryffindor common room to do her usual reading before she went to sleep. She pulled her rather worn copy of Hogwarts, A History from her school bag and dropped it into her lap. Her fingers whisked through the pages until she landed on the page where she last stopped reading. _Mysterious Rooms Throughout the Castle, _Lily read silently, _searches have been made ever since Hogwarts was built by its creators, and many rumors and legends have risen such as the Chamber of Secrets and a Room of Requirement, yet there are probably hundreds of secrets and hidden rooms that will always be kept in the halls of Hogwarts. _

Ever since Lily had first set her large green eyes upon the castle, she had felt that she was finally at home. Life with mum, dad, and Petunia was fairly nice, but she felt liberated by the magical world that had come to her doorstep with the simple letter that was left on her door step by a tawny owl when she was eleven. Whenever she read Hogwarts, A History Lily was refreshed with a love of school and all that she learned within its walls.

Yet her usual frivolity with her reading was interrupted by the conversation that caught her attention that was going on across the common room.

"It doesn't matter. I doubt I'll ever have her. You know, I've had my fair share of girls, but none of them are like her. With others I've never thought of them as playing any sort of role in my future. But Lily… she … I dunno."

_WHAT?! _Lily's thoughts screamed. _James Potter?! ME?! No, it really must be another Lily. But what other Lily is there?! Calm down Lily… he probably just wants me so he can tell all his friends that he snogged the smartest girl in school. But what if Potter really does have some sort of a soul? Maybe he really isn't as bad as Sev says he is. _

Lily shrunk farther into her seat as she heard the two boys make their way up to the dormitories. She yawned and closed her book, hardly reading more than a sentence that night. There was way too much on Lily's mind for her to be reading this late at night.

"Guess what tonight is!?" Sirius said excitedly as he fell into his seat at the table during breakfast the next morning. Remus rolled his eyes as he gnawed on a rather rare piece of ham. James raised his eyebrows and took another bite of his toast. "I dunno what is tonight?" Remus replied lethargically.

Sirius scoffed and threw back his head in laughter. "Common, it's the best night of the month Moony! How could you forget?!"

"I never forget Padfoot, it's just not quite the same for me as it is for you lot," Remus replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Sorry. But common, you have to admit we've had some good times when the moon is up and bursting in the evening sky," Sirius said while his eyes left his friends and followed a passing Ravenclaw girl whose skirt was a little shorter than it was suppose to be. "Hey James…" Sirius trailed off as he tried to get his friend in on the visual action. James didn't bother looking though since he and Remus were into a much more interesting conversation.

"I'd like to explore that farther west corner of the forest tonight. I thought I smelt something kind of odd the last time we were out there," James said before he finished his last bite of eggs.

When the four friends had finished breakfast they made their way off to class. The first period of their Fridays was the one class they did not all have together. James had Potions with Sirius while Remus and Peter had Divination. The journey down to the dungeons was a long and unmemorable one, since neither James nor Remus particularly enjoyed the subject. Yet James always looked forward to Friday Potions for a single reason.

"Yes Miss Evans?" Slughorn bellowed in response to a rigid hand that rose in the front of the class.

"Professor, I had a question about the homework regarding-"

A loud eruption of laughter formed in the back as all heads whipped towards the sound to see Sirius imitating Lily's overly enthusiastic question. Everyone laughed, even Lily, at Sirius's ridiculous impression. Snape scowled and doodled in his potions book while James sat quietly staring at the red head of hair as it bounced with laughter. _SNAP OUT OF IT! _James tried to shake himself back into reality.

"Class we will be creating a Draught of Peace potion today, just for fun, so pull out your cauldrons and turn to page 509 in your books," Slughorn announced as he plopped into his seat and pulled out a large box of crystallized pineapple. Everyone hauled their cauldrons onto their desks and began lighting fires to get the pots heated.

"Hey I'll talk to you later," James said as he grabbed his cauldron and made his way to the front of the classroom. Sirius didn't reply since he was far too caught up in the blonde Hufflepuff that he was assisting in lighting her fire. James slammed his cauldron next to Lily's making her jump, almost making her drop the entire collection of powdered moonstone that she was pouring into her cauldron.

"Hello!" James exclaimed as he quickly lit a fire and began scanning the book for the next step. Lily was perplexed by the blacked haired boy's actions, yet made an effort to keep her mind on Potions. "Isn't it funny that hellebore is an ingredient in the Draught of Peace? How ironic huh?" James blurted out, _Wow… you can't say a single reasonable thing around this woman can you?_

Lily turned a light shade of pink as she let a small laugh escape her mouth. James ran a hand through his hair and tried to rush through his potion making so he could escape to the back of the classroom to wallow in self-loathing and get a pick me up from Sirius.


	3. Romp Through the Forest

A stag stood in the full moons light as it sipped water from a small pond in the Forbidden Forest. A sudden crackling sound that came from not far off snapped the stag out of its drinking daze. Its ears twitched in search of a sound. The stag took a few steps toward the source of the noise, which was met by a large black dog that came running full force toward the stag. Yet it did not budge from its place, only to stand ever more firmly. When the dog jumped to attack the stag, it brought its antlers low and caught the dog, tossing him like a rag into the air.

Laughter broke the quiet evening air. "Nice one Prongs. You actually bloodied me a bit with that one," uttered a voice from behind the stag. Sirius ran a hand through his tangled curls and sat upon a large rock. Before Sirius' eyes the stag transformed into James Potter, who repeated his friend's actions.

"I wonder where Moony and Wormtail are," James said as he lay upon the forest ground," it's not like them to wander off so quietly."

"Usually you can hear Moony from the castle with his wailing and howling."

"I'm not sure if this is a good thing…" James trailed off and came to a realization. Both he and Sirius jumped to their feet and turned back into their animagus. They bolted off towards the western end of the forest in search of their cursed friend who may be in some sort of danger. Sirius came to a sudden stop causing James to almost run into a tree. He sniffed the air for a moment and turned towards the north returning to his rather swift pace. It took only a few more moments before they heard the commotion they were hoping not to hear.

A large beast that looked like a mix of both human and wolf was in a gripping brawl with two centaurs that were much large than the creature. James and Sirius did not sit and watch for long. Once the centaurs saw the two roaring towards them they left the werewolf alone and began to focus upon their new opponents. Sirius was never one to be passive when he was in his animagus form. He thrashed quite aggressively with the larger of the two centaurs, moving at a very quick pace and with gnashing teeth. James however attempted to just send the centaur away rather than beat it.

It wasn't long though before the werewolf was ready to join the fight again. A deep and rather fearful howl echoed through the forest, which had to have been heard at the castle. The centaurs stopped their attacks and froze at the sound. They rode off at a canter into the darkness, looking behind their shoulders as they left. James and Sirius both sat licking their wounds as their friend, still rearing for a fight, panted violently.

_It has to be near dawn. I'm not sure I can handle another few hours of this. _James thought as he licked at a wound on his front left leg. He looked toward Sirius who seemed to return his desires. They never regretted being friends with Remus, even with his furry little problem, yet sometimes it wasn't the fun they thought it would be. But quite often they would have great fun with Moony, as they had come to call him, with their adventures in the full moon lit forest.

James rose from his spot and began to head west again leaving Remus to wander the woods alone, which was not out of the ordinary. James thought he saw something rather peculiar the last evening they were out in the woods with Remus. He had always heard of strange occurrences happening in the forest but nothing he had seen had ever really shocked him. After awhile he noticed Sirius had not followed him, but this did not stop him. It did not take long until James noticed the stench that he had smelt the last time he was in this part of the woods. He deliberately slowed his pace to a walk to not attract attention if someone was there.

A small fire caught his eye as he grew closer, and soon figures of people came into view. They were all cloaked in black and had masks on so he couldn't quite see who they were. But there was one who was neither cloaked nor masked. He lay upon the ground with his whole body bound in rope.

"My lord, we have brought him for you to use to your bidding," said a rather high pitched voice from behind a mask. James knew it had to be a boy's voice, but they had to have been no older than fourteen.

"Excellent…. Excellent…. now leave me," came a voice that was much more fearsome than the last that spoke. James felt the fur all over his body stand on end as he stood stone still in the trees. The cloaked figures all dispparated and only one cloaked figure was left with the rope bound man before the fire. The man pulled a wand from his cloak and took off the mask upon his face. The face was as white as a skull and his hands were like the wispy limbs of a willow tree. James felt a sudden slash of fear run through him, even though he knew nothing of this man.

"Where is it?" the man asked as he ran his fingers along his wand.

The rope bound man gritted teeth and uttered, "You despicable-"

"_Crucio!" _

The man wriggled uncontrollably upon the forest floor and his face twisted into shapes that could only be brought upon a human by the worst nightmares imaginable. With a flick of the man's wand the wriggling stopped. A large snake came from out of no where and began to loosely coil around the wand holder's ankle.

"Now I ask again, where is it?"

The man on the floor panted in an attempt to catch his lost breath. "I don't know… I thought… I thought it was in the castle but I couldn't find it."

"_Crucio!" _

The thrashing continued once again yet the man began to cry in agony this time around. Another flick ended the whimpering.

"Did you check the room?

"It won't let me inside. I've tried over and over yet the doors will not reveal themselves to me."

The white faced man raised his wand again but before he could command the words again his prisoner yelped in fear. "Please! No! Not again! I will try harder! I can get inside I swear! Please!" The snake let out a loud hiss, jeering at the pathetic man upon the ground.

"This is the third time you have be unsuccessful in your attempt to retrieve it, and you expect me to pity you? Lord Voldemort pities none." The man let out some sort of hideous sound and the snake uncoiled itself and began to slither towards the enslaved man. "Nagini has not eaten in a few days. She shall enjoy the taste of human flesh once again."

James did not wait to see the snake feast upon the man, but ran off without worrying about the sound he made. A small spark of light rose in the east, helping him to see where he needed to go. He did not see his friends before he made it out of the forest, but he did not choose to wait. James changed back into his human form and whipped out his invisibility cloak. As the sun slowly rose in the east he ran with his heart beating out of his rib cage back to his dormitory to escape the horrors he saw in the forbidden forest.

**************

"Where'd you go this morning mate? You got me kind of worried," Sirius said before he jammed a large portion of eggs into his mouth. Remus did not join them for breakfast, which was not out of the ordinary after nights like the last. "And where the hell were you last night?"

Peter seemed to be awakened from a daze when Sirius spoke. "Oh I just felt like being alone. Got a lot on me mind I guess," Peter hastily returned to staring at his empty plate. Sirius shrugged and then returned his attention toward James.

James too stared at an empty plate," I'll talk to you about it later." James got up from his seat, tossed some pieces of toast and fruit into a napkin, and made his way back to the common room to mull things over. When he got to the Gryffindor common room he was surprised to see so many people. He had gone done for a late breakfast, and there were still quite a few people who had not even headed down for their own breakfast. Wanting to be alone, he headed up towards the dormitory.

Remus lay silently sleeping in his four poster bed when James walked in. His body was covered in the usual cuts and bruises, yet there were some bruises that were much larger than usual. _Stupid centaurs _James thought silently as he placed the food on the stand next to his friend's bed. Out of habit James pulled his map out from under his mattress and began to peruse its many pages. He scoffed at the sight of Severus Snape sitting alone at the end of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. _What a tosser. _

It didn't take long for James to succumb to his thoughts and his eyes fell upon the Gryffidor common room where Lily Evans sat along with Hannah Cunnington and Ann Marie Turvis by the fire. _I should have stayed down in the common room_, James thought aloud.

"But if you were in the common room you would neither make a move on Lily nor would you be here to have a lovely conversation with me," came the weak voice of Remus Lupin beside him.

"Moony! How're you feeling? You had a rough night, the last."

"Roughed up. But it'll pass. Luckily it's a Saturday so I don't need to go out much." He grabbed one of the pieces of toast from his stand and took a bite. "So where did you go off to last night? When Sirius and Peter hauled me up here we couldn't find you. Got me sort of worried that it was something I had done."

" No, I just wanted to look into that western part of the forest," James said as the images of the night before raced through his mind. "Have you heard of someone by the name of Voldemort?"

Remus stopped mid chew and directed his glance toward James. "You don't read the prophet much do you?"

"Well I have heard stories but I wasn't sure if they were true or not."

"To answer your question, yes I have heard of him. Why do you ask? This isn't normally a conversation starter in the morning."

"Well, something happened last night on that western border of the forest that kind of worries me. And Voldemort was there."

Remus dropped his toast back into the napkin and turned to face James. "James, what did you see? This man, this beast, is not one that a person sees on their trip to Diagon Alley each week. He is a wanted man. Many are no longer calling him by that name in fear. They have resorted to names such as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or You-Know-Who."

James went on to tell Remus everything that he saw and heard the night before. Remus listened closely with a very somber look upon his brow. "You need to tell the headmaster about this James. This is a very serious matter before us."

But James had stopped listening as he saw the spot on the map that said Lily leave the common room to join Snivilus outside of the Fat Lady's portrait.

**************

Sorry they are short. More to come though! Review and comments are appreciated. Thanks.


	4. A Midnight Snack

The snow seemed to melt away as fast as it came upon the grounds of Hogwarts, but it was replaced by the constant drizzle of icy rain. But this didn't stop Lily from spending time outside of the school. It was Tuesday afternoon and she had an off period for the rest of the school day. She was curled up under the big tree by the black lake that lay beside the school. She had conjured up a spell to keep a small area around her nice and dry so she could do her work without getting soaked. The rain calmed her down after her rather stressful morning. Teachers were piling on the work recently and she wasn't sure she would be able to handle all of her NEWT work.

A loud crash of lightening made Lily drop her quill and spill her ink across her finally finished Charms paper. She left out a soft scream from her throat and began to try and clean the ink from her paper. "_Tergo!" _The ink only spread more. _**"Tergo!" **_The ink spilled onto the grass. Lily threw up her hands in aggravation which caused her papers to fly in every which direction. She drew her hands to her face and shrieked into them. Another terrible thing to add onto her list of things that had gone wrong today.

"Don't worry I've got it." Lily raised her head to see the last person she would have expected to see picking up her flying papers. _"Tergeo!" _The ink disappeared from the paper and revealed an essay, unharmed. His glasses were foggy and had droplets of rain on them, along with his drenched school sweater and neck tie, which was thrown over his shoulder.

Lily grabbed the paper from the rather drenched, black haired boy and turned an even darker shade of red than she already was from the cold. "Thanks," she muttered as she shoved her papers into her bag. She rose to her feet and began to head back to the castle but James Potter did not give up that easily. The rain fell harder upon her for only a moment until she realized that James had cast an impervious spell upon her, keeping her dry from the rain. _That's not the only spell he's casting upon me. OH SHUT UP LILY! Get a grip! He's James Potter! _

He followed her all the way up Fat Lady's portrait and for a moment Lily thought he would attempt to follow her up to her dormitory, but when she turned around, he was gone.

**********

Remus and Sirius were not startled to see James' figure appear out of nowhere before them in the boys dormitory. He dropped his invisibility cloak to the floor and attempted to dry himself off.

"Stalking her again are you?" Sirius said as he flashed his friend a smile. He and Remus were playing a game of exploding snap before James had come into the room.

"Shuttup you stupid bastard," James laughed as he fell upon his bed. The smell of rain was still vibrant in his mind as James closed his eyes and made an effort to doze off while Remus and Sirius continued with their card game. Yet as one would think he did not succeed with the small bangs coming from the bed next to him. James sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"You never answered my question," Sirius continued to pry as a card exploded right after he placed it upon the bed.

"Wouldn't my cursing give away my answer?" James got up to put his cloak back into his trunk. Before he dropped the cloak in an idea sprang across his mind. He would be using the cloak again this evening after everyone went to sleep.

**********

James didn't leave the dormitory until he heard the usual snores come from each of the rooms' occupants. The fire in the common room was dim and gave James very little light to make his way across the room. Before he exited he threw on his cloak and made his way to his favorite spot in Hogwarts. When he came to the painting of a bowl, filled to the brim with rather delicious looking fruit, James held out his hand and gave the pear a rather tender tickle, which caused the painting to swing forward, allowing the boy access to the kitchen.

Only a few of the house elves lingered behind finishing up the cleaning from dinner, as well as doing some quick preparing for the mornings breakfast. James gave a rather stumpy elf that was passing by him a pat on the head and the elf gave a wave of greeting. James Potter frequented the school's kitchen, which was abundant in food and sweets, where he could get his fill whenever he wished. Thus began his tour across the kitchen and through the pantry, grabbing a very large glass of butter beer to accompany his plate covered in sweets.

As James made his way to the sofas that he and Remus had conjured on their trip to the kitchen he saw his usual spot was filled by someone. Almost choking on one of his cauldron cakes, James realized that the head of red hair could only belong to one person. "What are you doing here?" James questioned without realizing his rather coarse tone.

Lily whipped around at the sound of James' voice and shot from her seat. She dropped the glass of pumpkin juice that she was drinking and clumsily tried to clean it up. _"Tergeo!"_ The pumpkin juice disappeared form the ground and Lily looked up to see James staring down at her with a smile on his face. "What are you staring at Potter?" Lily said, regaining some confidence.

"You," James replied, somewhat bluntly, before he mentally shot himself. _Stupid git, what the fuck did you say that for?! _

Lily's face grew rather red, and luckily James didn't see it since the kitchen fires were not up to their usual size. Lily refilled her glass with a pitcher that was on a table close by and then sat back down. Before James took a seat he placed his plate of sweets on the table, not without grabbing another cake. They sat in silence for quite some time, before James broke the awkward quiet. "Do you come to the kitchens often at this time of night?" James blurted out. _So now you have resorted to terrible muggle pick up lines? Might as well ask if it hurt falling from heaven. Or one that would better suit my manners would be: Nice shoes, wanna fuck? _

Lily drank another sip of her juice and licked her lips to remove a small amount that spilled from her cup. "Every now and then I suppose. Just a pleasant place to go to when I'm feeling rather strung out." Luckily she had not recognized the pick up line similarity and James relaxed a bit. "Would you like some?" He held his plate to Lily, and she took a few sweets, giving him a thank you along with as a smile.

At last the final elf had left the kitchen and the two students were left completely alone in the dimly lit kitchen. Lily wouldn't let herself be drawn into the moment though. "So what are you doing here?" she asked before she took a bite of a cauldron cake. James tried to regain his composure to give a decent response. He cleared his throat and replied, "It is the place where Remus, Sirius, Peter and I often come in the middle of the night, just whenever we can't sleep or such."

"So what are _you _doing here?"

James laughed and ran a hand through his messy hair. Lily secretly loved it when he did that. She felt a yawn coming on and succumbed to her drooping eyes by lying down upon the sofa. James himself was not the least bit tired. "Why else would I be here other than to stuff my face with Hogwart's delicious treats for a midnight snack!" James whispered, and he wasn't even sure why he whispered. Lily's head was only mere centimeters away from him and it took every ounce of his being to not take her head in her hands and kiss her.

"Well it looks like it is getting particularly late, and we should head off to bed," James said jumping onto his feet causing Lily almost fall off the couch. In seconds, James threw the remains of his plate in a trash bin, and pulled out his invisibility cloak.

"You have one?!" Lily found herself suddenly awakened at the sight of one of the greatest mysteries in the wizarding world. James stood still with his cloak in hands, as Lily came to his side and ran her fingers across the satiny fabric that glistened, even without any light source. It was now more than ever that James wanted to run from the kitchen that evening. He felt as if Lily knew what he felt and what was going on underneath his invisibility cloak. "Well," James faked a large yawn, " we should be off to bed. We have class tomorrow, and we wouldn't want to miss it now would we? Besides, how would it look if the head boy and girl were out late, and not patrolling the halls? " James quickly threw his cloak over himself and opened up the portrait to let himself into the hall.

"Goodnight James."

**********

Well, there's another. Please give me reviews so I can see what to fix. Thanks. Hope your enjoying it.


	5. Detentions and Radio Reports

The week continued to inch along with only more NEWT work being piled upon the seventh years since they would be taking their exit exams next semester. Despite the massive amounts of crap that was being loaded on them, James and the marauders were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Remus had recovered almost completely from the last full moon, giving the four the opportunity to once again wreak havoc upon Hogwarts. The snow had returned, and was sure to stay for quite some time. The marauders made their way across the third floor to double Charms which filled up their Thursday afternoon. They all sat at their tables as they waited for their professor to come into the room and begin their lesson. Remus and Peter were caught up in some sort of conversation that they were finishing from lunch while James and Sirius were discussing the Quidditch match that was taking place on Saturday between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

"Fucking Danny Aldridge is going to pay for last year. That bludger bloody hurt and it was most definitely foul play. Remember? I was in hospital for a week," James said loud enough so a certain red head sitting a few tables away could hear his conversation.

"Sounds about right mate! This is our year for the Quidditch cup to say Gryffindor on it!" Sirius retorted as he tilted his seat so it was balancing on two legs. His thick black hair fell in his face causing quite a few of the girls around him to swoon. Sirius noticed this often and played off of it.

After a few minutes Professor Lawley waltzed into the room and placed his wand at his throat. "_Sonorus_! Hello class!" The professor's voice bellowed in the classroom catching everyone's attention. "Today we will be learning the Sonorus charm which allows one to project their voice as I am doing now. It is not as simple as it appears so make sure you take care with your partners. Don't want to turn your voice box into a snuff box, now hop to it!"

"Oh this should be a treat," Remus said to James and Sirius as he pulled out his wand. Remus paired with Peter and Sirius with James. They were instructed to stand across the hall from their partner taking turns trying to project their voices so their partner could hear them.

James and Sirius had smug looks on their faces which only meant they had no intention of following this lesson correctly. Remus rolled his eyes and he went on to perform the charm with ease yelling at Peter that it was his turn to try.

"Brilliant Mr. Lupin! Let's see who else can do it" Professor Lawley yelled excitedly as he stood in between the partners in the middle of the room.

Lily rose her wand to her throat and, like Lupin, easily spoke at a loud volume to her partner, Hannah Cunnington. James smiled at Lily's intelligence. _Smart and beautiful. _He thought aloud. Luckily only Remus heard him, who laughed at his friend's infatuation. James smirked, a gesture which was returned from Sirius before he ran a hand through his hair and raised his wand to his throat. On a few occasions before James had used this spell and had been quite successful so he hoped that it would work this time. The room seemed frozen in time as James belched into his magical megaphone, causing the room to appear to shake. Sirius volleyed his action and thus began the brouhaha in the Charms classroom that would take more than a few minutes to end. People attempted to copy the two boys' action yet many ended up doing the reverse or worse. Some people reversed the spell making themselves temporarily dumb, while others only turned their faces purple or a pleasant shade of cerulean from attempts. Others did what their professor had joked about, making their voice box completely disappear.

Remus gave James a disapproving shake of his head, yet couldn't contain his laughter for too long. Sirius ran over to James' side of the room and gave him a high five. "Another day of Charms ruined once again by the Marauders!" Sirius roared over the screams and yells that were being emitted throughout the room.

Suddenly the room was completely quiet even though everyone's mouths still moved. "POTTER! BLACK! DETENTION!" Professor Lawley wailed. His thick white head of hair was standing on end and his usually rosy cheeks were now a deep purple.

**********

James and Sirius sat at a small table that evening writing lines that said "I will not belch while using the Sonorus charm." It had grown into the wee hours of the night and Professor Lawley had felt that 2,395 lines of the above statement was good enough. The two boys rubbed their sore hands as they began the long trudge back to Gryffindor tower. James massaged his right hand and sighed, "These pains better be gone by Saturday or we will be in a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry mate. They should be fine by morning," Sirius stretched out his fingers as they began to head up the final case of stairs. At last they had reached the Fat Lady's portrait and she lazily asked for the password.

"Mint Humbugs," James returned before the portrait swung open allowing them inside of the common room. Usually at this late hour of night the common room would have very few stragglers, unless there was something due the next day, but the room was rather full and almost silent except for a radio that sat on a table in the middle of the room.

"_Reports have revealed that several mangled bodies have been found on the Western edge of the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts. Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore is taking this very seriously and has created secure safety measures to make sure that the school is not harmed. Many believe this to be the work of the rising dark wizard whom cannot be named. If anyone has any information that they believe could be relevant to this finding, or the work of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, then you must report it to the Aurors department at once. More information will be available at a later time tomorrow on the murdered and their identities."_ Bellowed the radio before the blank staring teenagers who sat around it.

"This is outrageous! Murders just outside our doors?! What sort of safety measures are being taken?" yelled one rather blonde haired boy who rose from his seat by the radio. Outbursts rose across the room with some people becoming very upset and other racing up to their rooms to tell those who had not heard the report. James and Sirius felt quite confused by this report they just heard on the radio. Remus stood from his seat on a nearby couch and walked over to James and Sirius. "Well this certainly won't help our studies over the next week. I worry this may even conflict with the Quidditch match on Saturday since it is rather close to the forest." Remus rubbed his tired eyes after he said this and then yawned. James didn't quite register what he had said because his mind had frozen on what he had seen a week ago in the forest.

_I witnessed at least one of these murders. Voldemort was behind this! I have to tell the headmaster! _James turned on his heel and went right back out the portrait to head off to the headmaster's office. He knew what he saw was important and maybe it would be vital to solving the murders and stopping more to come. With his invisibility cloak thrown over himself, James ran to the large gargoyle that stood between him and the headmaster.

"Password?" the gargoyle croaked.

"Lemon Sherbert," James whispered before he saw the gargoyle jump aside and reveal a staircase that took him up to the door. Before he could knock he heard a deep "Enter".

James burst through the door yelling, "Professor Dumbledore! There is something I have to tell you! I heard the radio this eve-"

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence James' rambling. "Calm down Mr. Potter and take a seat." James collapsed into the plush red seat the suddenly appeared behind him. He took a deep breath and began once again. "Professor, no less than a week ago, we were out in the forest quite late in the evening assisting Remus with his monthly problem, as I told you last time," Dumbledore nodded and brought his fingertips together, "Well I decided to explore the western borders of the forest, because the last month I had smelt something that made me a little curious. When I did so I saw… I saw Voldemort. There was a fire and a man who was bound by ropes upon the ground. Along with this, there were some people in black cloaks with masks. I think they may have been students because when they spoke they did not sound very mature. Then Voldemort told them to leave him with the man. He ask him if he had gotten something from the castle and the man said he could not get into "the room" which confused me. Voldemort got angry with him because this man had failed him thrice before so he ordered some snake to feed upon him."

James took a huge gulp of air and relaxed into his chair. "You believe students at my school are assisting Lord Voldemort? Mr. Potter this is a very serious accusation you are making and I would not want to be at fault if I accused any to only find them innocent." James shook his head in understanding. "However, I appreciate you telling me what you saw. This helps me to see what exactly Voldemort's plans may be."

"Plans sir?"

"He is not going to settle with mere murders or theft. I feel that there is much more to this man who has begun to terrorize our world. At the current time I hope to create a group that will be able to fight off Voldemort if he rises to any greater power, which I assume will happen."

"Well, if you do so sir, I would like to join."

Dumbledore looked the young man who sat across from him. James Potter sat rigidly and attentive hanging on each word that Dumbledore said. His glasses sat on the edge of his nose and his hair was tousled as if there had been a great wind in that office. Dumbledore's bright blue eyes twinkled for a moment in the candlelit fires that were shining around the room. James didn't know what exactly to think of the silence that took place in that moment, but it did not give him any comfort.

"I will most definitely allow you to join our fight Mr. Potter," The headmaster finally replied. James loosened up a little, feeling much more hopeful. He stood up and stretched, releasing a small yawn. "Thank you for letting me talk to you professor," James smiled, "I am going to head off to bed, especially since I have class tomorrow." James placed his hand upon the curvy door handle, but it would not budge.

"You say his name without fear and do not use one of those ridiculous nick names they have given him. Why is this?" Dumbledore asked James. He turned around and returned the gaze that his headmaster gave him.

"I dunno. I understand that he has done horrible things, but I do not feel this panic when I think of him. When I saw him I was scared, but now I do not feel so. I know that we can defeat him. It may not be me, but I give the one that does defeat him all of my hope."


	6. Today is the Day

Hey thanks to PhoenixTears-x and xscarredx13 for their reviews! More are always appreciated. I fixed the accidental Harry/James typo in Chapter 3. I only write at like 2 in the morning so I'm not always mentally stable. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

**********

_Potions. Again. _James remembered his outlandish behavior last week in class and chose to sit in the very back with Sirius as opposed to his seat with Lily in the front. He pulled out his cauldron and placed it on the table a little harsher than he should have. The sound echoed through the dungeon and Slughorn raised his head form his book to see what the sound was. "What's the problem James? I know you got to the dormitory back rather late but something else seems to be bothering you," Sirius also placed his cauldron on the table as he attempted to lend an emotional hand to his friend.

But James wasn't able to respond to Sirius question immediately because another loud _thunk_ that came from beside him. Lily's cauldron was still attempting to settle upon the table as she placed her book, paper and quills on the table. James must have been giving her a look of extreme perplexity because Lily turned a light shade of pink. "I thought I would sit back here today if that's ok." James looked up towards the front of the class where he caught the glare of Snape who was giving him a look that could kill. James leaned over to Sirius who saw the nasty look they were receiving from Snape and said, "It's hard to not repeat our little de-pantsing of the bastard from fifth year."

Sirius laughed and slammed his book onto the table. "I still can't believe you didn't let us give him to Moony when he was in his furry stage. That would have been a good show to see." James however did not agree with Sirius on this matter. He knew that if he had let Snape enter the shrieking shack he would have been ripped to shreds and not only would it be Remus' fault but it would also be his own. Snape was indebted to James but he knew that they could never be friends.

Slughorn rose from his seat and patted his large belly. "Well class… let's see what shall we make today.. how about Veritaserum! Get into groups of three and pick one person who will have the serum used upon them. You all better do them correctly or you will have some very angry partners coming after you. Now begin!" Everyone began scrambling to get into groups. James and Sirius looked around for another person to add to their group and Lily looked expectantly at James. In a rather surprised tone James asked her to be in their group. She accepted his request and began to kindle the fire below her cauldron to start the serum going. Sirius gave James a "you sorry sod" look, but James rubbed it off.

After the final stir Slughorn yelled for the end of time. He began his usual walk around the room looking into each cauldron. First, Slughorn looked into Snape's cauldron, which was both colorless and odorless. He gave an approving smile and a clap with his sausage looking hands. "Excellent job Mr. Snape, Mr. Avery and Mr. Wilkes! Now who shall be our tester?" Wilkes raised hand and sat in one of the 4 chairs that were conjured before the class for the testers. He went to the next two groups, one he scrunched his nose at and grudgingly let some one sit before the class where as the next group he asked to clean out their cauldron in fear of harming someone with their potion. When he finally went to James, Sirius, and Lily's cauldron he smiled. "Oh Lily Evans I know that you had to have done a great deal with this because it is as perfect as Severus'! Now which of you is going to test it?" Lily blushed and raised her hand before Sirius or James could.

Lily sat down beside the other two and folded her hands in her lap. She usually was not nervous, but for some reason she had a slight shake in her. Slughorn took Snape's Veritaserum and gave three drops to Wilkes.

"What is your name?" Slughorn questioned.

"Alton Baldric Wilkes" the boy replied.

"What house do you belong to?"

"Slytherin."

"What color of underwear you wear Alton?" Slughorn let out a laugh after this one. The class joined him as Wilkes replied with, "Pink with white Billywigs." The class roared to this one as Wilkes willingly showed the class his underwear.

"Wonderful job boys! I believe the serum will fade in a short while so if you want anything out of him, get it while you can!" Slughorn said before he moved on to the next group. Theirs did not go quite so well. Their volunteer could only answer in couplets that usually had nothing to do with the question. They were however given partially credit since the couplets did tend to be rather humorous (on the extremely crude side).

"Next we have my favorite member of the Slug Club! Miss Lily Evans! Let's see how well yours shall work!" Lily took three drops and suddenly felt as if her body would succumb to anything. Slughorn asked his usual first question of "What's your name?"

"Lily Evans."

"And what is your favorite class at Hogwarts?" Slughorn had a smug grin on his face when he asked this question only to be thwarted with Lily's "Charms."

He shook it off, but gave a much more personal question next. "Are you currently in a romantic relationship with anyone or plan to be in one anytime soon?" Many of the guys in the classroom sat on the edge of their seats.

"I am not currently seeing anyone, but there is someone on my mind," Lily stated. _Why did you volunteer for this?! Concentrate! Concentrate! Try to stop talking! _Lily screamed inside her head and attempted to overcome the serum.

"And who might that be?"

"No one," Lily coughed out. She felt as if her body has been freed from being bound by ropes, allowing her to breathe and take grasp of her bearings.

"Well I guess the Serum has faded a little faster than I would have hoped, so I'll have to dock you all just a couple of points. But brilliant job! Now I'd like an essay on how to keep the serum from fading so fast, and it shall be due next week!"

**********

_Today is the day, _James Potter thought to himself as he attempted to make his hair look as wind swept as possible before he and the gang headed off for the final visit to Hogsmeade before the holidays. _Today is the day. _James pulled his sweater over his head and made a final check to make sure nothing was stuck in his teeth. While he made his way down the dormitory stairs he adjusted his glasses. At the portrait waited Sirius, Remus, and Peter, ready to head down.

"Today is the day," James stated to Remus when he reached them at the porthole. Remus gave his friend a kind smile and Sirius threw back his head in laughter.

"Good luck mate!" Sirius called back as he began to climb through the hole.

Luckily the wind was only a slight breeze and they had grown used to the cold that slept upon the grounds of the school. But the last thing on James' mind was the weather. The crowds of students began the tread down to the small village of Hogsmeade and James felt as if he was the only one that was making the journey. _Today is the day. _

The four Gryffindors strolled into the Three Broomsticks and James began his visual search for the head of radiant red hair that beckoned him. But to his dismay he saw no such sight. _She's always at the Three Broomsticks… _James' mind began to race at where she could be, and he left the pub without even saying good-bye to his friends. He rushed out into the cold and made his way into each shop in the village but no sign of her. Frustration ran through James as he decided to spend the remainder of his trip to Hogsmeade in self-loathing at the shrieking shack. With his feet slipping and sliding down the hill, James entered the shack that was known as being the most haunted building in Britain, due to his furry friend. The rotting floor was covered in a thin layer of dust and grime, but James did not mind. The last thing on his mind was dirt getting on his pants. More snow began to fall as James sat on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. _I guess today was not the day. _

**********

"So did you woo her into your arms this afternoon Prongs?" Sirius pestered James as he played with a card he had received from a chocolate frog. James rolled his eyes at the question and didn't bother to answer. Sirius lost his playful tone and jumped from his bed to sit beside James on his bed. "I'm sorry mate. Did she turn you down or what?"

"I could not find her anywhere so I'm just giving up. Lily Evans wants a man with a foundation , a man with character, a man with skill, a ma-"

"A man who isn't going to puss out when he wants her! James put yourself out there! Throw her the offer and if she won't take it then she isn't worth it! And don't forget, you can always go along with one of the usual 5th years that wants your dick. Look on the bright side! That's what I always do." Sirius attempted to comfort his friend, yet he was not doing exactly that. James felt only more perplexed by Sirius and needed to get some air.

"I'll try to think about your advice. Especially that last part." James pulled his invisibility cloak out from his trunk and left the dormitory. There were still quite a few people in the common room, seeing as it was only eleven in the evening on a Saturday. Everyone moved out of the way of James, seeing as he had a rather awful scowl upon his brow as he charged toward the porthole. Each person that James passed in the hall got barked at as James made his way to the seventh floor. When he finally came to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance ballet, he walked past it three times. A door appeared like always and James entered a room that was dimly lit, with a fire fizzling before a comfy looking couch that was close to the ground. James threw his cloak on the floor and fell upon the couch. A large glass of firewhiskey appeared beside the couch and James drank the burning liquid like pumpkin juice. His throat screamed at the touch of the alcohol but he continued to down the beverage.

James knew he should not be acting so immature about something as unreasonable as a girl but he could not contain himself. He had never felt so strongly about someone before, and it drove him crazy that the one girl he desired for was the one girl who did not desire him. After throwing the empty glass upon the floor another glass full to the brim arose in its place. The fire sparked and shook James from his daze. He no longer felt alone in the room, and the last thing he needed was Sirius or Remus trying to "comfort" him. Or worse it could be someone else. James turned his head slightly to see a shadow coming towards him from the door. Quickly, James was on his feet with wand at the ready. But to his disappointment or possibly joy, it was Lily Evans.

James, feeling like a fool put his wand back into his pocket and collapsed back into the couch. He grabbed the firewhiskey and drank a large gulp, while Lily took a seat beside him. _Oh you are only ten hours late Lily… of course you have to come when I am on the verge of tears with booze in my hand. _James was mentally kicking himself, especially after looking next to him, where Lily sat. She was wearing her muggle clothes, but this particular outfit did not hide her assets, that were one of James' many favorite features. It took him a little too long to realize that he was staring.

James reached down to get a drink of firewhiskey to ease his mind but was surprised to taste that the alcohol had turned into black coffee. He almost spit the drink when he tasted it. Lily laughed, and he knew that she was behind it.

"So what are you doing here?" James asked, wiping his face of the coffee debris. Lily ran a hand through her thick red hair and sighed. She smiled and turned to look at James. "I followed you."

Lucky for James the room was dim or Lily would have seen his face turn a bright shade of pink. _Today is the day. _James felt a rush of adrenaline that could out run even the largest amount of felix felicis a man could take. James boldly grabbed Lily's hand in his own and looked into her eyes. Her beauty and smarts were more than enough for James, but her eyes were what did him in the end. The deepest and brightest green James had seen only her eyes would burn into his own eyes each time he gazed into them.

"Lily," James paused, attempting to make the moment last. But he didn't have a say in what occurred next. Lily pressed her lips against his and James felt time stand still. He ran a hand through the hair that he expectantly looked for each day in the corridors. The two seemed to melt into the couch and suddenly the room was filled with illumination, tearing the two from each other. Candles floated about the room as the fire continued to cackle. The couch had turned into bed that rested upon the floor, covered in satin sheets.

Lily was the first to let out a laugh and James shortly joined in. "Wow, I think the room is enjoying this moment as much as we are," James laughed. The laughing soon ceased and the two went to lying on the bed simply staring into each other's eyes. "Lily Evans," James began once again, "I have loved you for longer than I think I have known." James placed his hand upon the soft chin of the girl before him. "I have been miserable without you in my life and I hope from this moment on, I am never miserable again."

Lily rolled onto her back and grinned. "What exactly are you inquiring Potter?"

James mirrored her action. "What exactly do you think I'm asking?"

In mere seconds Lily climbed on top of James and continued to kiss him. He melted below her and felt every bone in his body liquefy (except for one of course). For a moment Lily stopped. "Is that a yes?" James asked before she continued to plant kisses on his neck. At this point James didn't care what her answer was, but only wanted to have Lily in his life forever. He was not sure of what she intended on doing in this room on this particular evening, but whatever it was James wanted to wait. So James lifted himself up and onto his elbows causing Lily to stop.

"Is something wrong?" Lily asked with a look of worry on her face. James gave her a kiss on the forehead to assure her that nothing was wrong. "I love you Lily."

"As I love you James." She responded before she snuggled her head into his chest. James knew that nothing was going to happen since in mere moments the woman who he had longed for so dearly to be in his life had fallen into a quick and very deep sleep. _Today was the day. _

**********

Well I hope that this chapter was pretty good. Tried to make it longer than usual since I'm going to be out of town and out of reach of a computer for the next two weeks. Reviews are always welcome!


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